Meet the Mellon Fellows: Dr. Meagan Harden

Dr. Meagan Harden

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
PhD, Geography and Environment

Host Site: Maritime Washington National Heritage Area
Fellowship Title: Tribal Maritime Heritage and Cultural Tourism in Washington State
Project Description: Dr. Harden will focus on collaboration and research with three Seattle-area Tribes to support better public understanding of, engagement with, and appreciation for Indigenous maritime heritage in the region. Working with selected Tribal partners and archival resources, Dr. Harden will investigate and document existing Tribal maritime heritage resources and their histories and place them into a broader context of cultural heritage tourism in the region.

Bio:

A political and cultural geographer by training, Dr. Meagan Harden explores archival collections, landscapes, and oral histories to uncover stories about how people, places, and power interact. After completing a B.A. in Environmental Sustainability, an M.A. in International Studies, and a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Meagan traded her landlocked Oklahoma upbringing for the salty shores of Oʻahu in the Hawaiian Islands. As a doctoral student in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Department of Geography and Environment, Meagan navigated between chilly archives and warm conversations in Honolulu, D.C., and the Republic of Palau, exploring competing political representations of islands and oceans. Meagan’s experiences living and working in Pacific Islands transformed her understanding of the ocean as not simply a physical space, but a spiritual, cultural, and life-sustaining entity as well. Beyond her academic endeavors, Meagan is an amateur outrigger canoe paddler, an adoring auntie, and a voracious devourer of stories in all forms.

Tell us about your research interests!

With their churning currents, cresting waves, and awesome capaciousness, oceanic spaces lie at the heart of my current research trajectory. I am interested in how people connect through and across oceanic spaces, and how those same oceanic spaces facilitate or thwart political projects. My dissertation, titled "Island Empire: The Hidden Political Geography of American Expansion in the Pacific" interrogates the political and legal trajectories of US militarism in the Pacific Ocean from the early twentieth century to present.

What are you most excited about as you begin your fellowship?

I am thrilled to contribute to a more comprehensive history of maritime cultural heritage, including cultural practices that have sustained life since long before European encounters. I look forward to collaborating with tribal nation partners across the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area to ensure that historical accounts resound with Indigenous voices.

Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

This project was made possible through the National Park Service by a grant from the National Park Foundation through generous support from the Mellon Foundation. The Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship program is administered through a partnership between NPS, NPF, and American Conservation Experience.